Lately there has been a lot of talk about people following a gluten free diet.  In fact, I feel like every time I go to the grocery store or Whole Foods, there are more new foods that are marked “gluten free”.  When I go to the bookstore, there are cookbooks, books and magazines all discussing gluten free living.

If you are like me, you are probably wondering what all of the fuss is about.  Is this the latest health trend or the answer to your weight loss dilemmas?

Actually, neither! Most everyone who follows a gluten free diet does so for medical reasons.  This usually involved wheat intolerance, celiac disease or a wheat allergy.

Wheat intolerance is when someone is not actually allergic to wheat but their body responds negatively to it.  Very often, they are sore all the time and have skin irritations.  Stomach problems are also very common.  The problem with diagnosing wheat intolerance is that it can be two or three days from the time that wheat is consumed before the symptoms begin to show.  This can make it difficult for people to figure out what is going on.

Individuals that have celiac disease are allergic to gluten protein.  This is a serious condition because if it goes undiagnosed, damage to the intestinal track can occur over time.

When someone has a wheat allergy, they are allergic to wheat as well as other proteins that are found in wheat.  While those with a wheat allergy often have stomach problems, they may also get classical allergy symptoms, like sneezing and watery eyes.  Skin disturbances are also very likely to occur.  People with a wheat allergy are generally born with it, where wheat intolerance may develop over time.

The solution for these three conditions is to follow a gluten free diet.  The good news is that there are many gluten free cookbooks that can help you with this.